Cashman says he’s happy so far with his early winter plan due to the re-signing of pitchers Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda and Mariano Rivera – totaling 120 years’ worth of veteran arms.

Yet, there are plenty of needs to fill before Yankees pitchers and catchers report in about 72 days.

“In a very pragmatic way, we’re addressing – step by step – the priorities that we have,” Cashman said prior to Monday’s opening of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. “We’ve had dialogue with the marketplace about position players, [but] we just haven’t been in the negotiating arena yet.

“Obviously, we’ll be entering that here shortly and see where we’re at,” said Cashman, pledging patience as he sorts through candidates to play catcher, right field and to fill out the bench. “If something makes sense, we’ll try to aggressively get something done.

“And if it doesn’t make sense, we’ll wait until something does eventually.”

Greinke might re-up with the Angels, but he’s been linked to interest from the Dodgers, Rangers and Nationals.

Hamilton could re-sign with the Rangers, though he’s had reported interest by the Mariners, Brewers and most recently the Phillies.

B.J. Upton signed a $75 million deal with Atlanta, but there’s still plenty of suitors for the likes of outfielders Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino and Nick Swisher.

After rejecting the Yankees’ qualifying one-year offer — an easy choice — Swisher could be choosing from a list of landing spots that includes Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, Philadelphia, Texas and San Francisco.

By allowing free agent catcher Russell Martin to bolt to Pittsburgh on a two-year, $17 million deal, the Yankees underlined their current reality of pursuing vets on one-year deals – a strategy toward getting the payroll under the $189 million luxury tax threshold by 2014.

“We’re not out of the multi-year market,” Cashman said. “We’re not out of thinking big, looking at something big.”

Still, Mike Napoli doesn’t fit the Yankees’ catching criteria and could sign with the Red Sox, while A.J. Pierzynski might score multi-year offers in a thin receiver’s market. But the recently non-tendered Geovany Soto is a potential target to supplement the likes of Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine.

Free agent outfielder Scott Hairston’s ability to mash lefty pitching makes him attractive to the Yanks, who still have interest in re-signing Ichiro Suzuki — and to some extent Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez.

There are attractive right-handed hitting free agents in Jeff Keppinger, Kevin Youkilis and Mark Reynolds as potential expanded role players – provided what the market bears for them elsewhere.

But by retaining Pettitte, Kuroda and Rivera for a guaranteed total of $37 million for 2013, Cashman already feels as if he’s made a significant winter splash.

“If you look at the marketplace — and it’s not a great marketplace — I’m not sure if anybody is doing better than that right now, in terms of addressing some obvious needs,” Cashman said.Mets general manager Sandy Alderson’s needs start with cobbling together an entire outfield.

And with third baseman David Wright secured to a bold new long-term contract, the Mets can now focus on either extending knuckleball artist R.A. Dickey’s deal or trading the reigning NL Cy Young award winner to help bolster their future.

“It would be a little unusual to trade a Cy Young winner,” Alderson told reporters a few weeks ago at the General Managers’ Meetings in Palm Springs, Calif.

“But I can remember a time when [as the Oakland Athletics GM] we traded for the leading hitter in the National League [in Willie McGee]. So it happens.”